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Finally, Paramecium also contains many crystals in older
cultures. This micrograph is of a crystal taken from a cell in
stationary phase (day 8 post-inoculation). Crystals are enclosed by a
membrane and contain sheets of paracrystalline material (arrow)
similar to that in lysosomes and phagolysosomes (see chapter on
Digestive Vacuoles to follow) that lie just inside the membrane. The
crystal membrane has a pronounced glycocalyx (arrowheads) like
phagolysosomes and lysosomes and may store digestive enzymes in a
paracrystalline form during periods of starvation or limited food
supply. EM taken on 3/6/80 by R. Allen with Hitachi HU11A TEM. Neg.
10,250X. Bar = 0.5µm.
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